Bougherra boost for Rangers

13 Jul 2011 15:47:00

Rangers defender Madjid Bougherra could be fit for the SPL opener against Hearts at Ibrox on Saturday week following a hamstring scare.
The Algerian returned to Scotland on Tuesday from the Light Blues' training camp in Germany to have the problem assessed. The injury was not believed to be serious but had forced him out of the club's first two tour games against Sportfreunde Lotte and Bochum.
The club's official website revealed that after seeing a specialist and having a precautionary scan on Wednesday, results have shown there is nothing substantial for new Ibrox boss Ally McCoist to worry about.
While Bougherra misses Wednesday night's friendly match with Bayer Leverkusen and could also sit out the friendlies against Linfield and Blackpool, he has a decent chance of making the SPL game against Hearts.
That prognosis will come as a huge plus to manager McCoist, who has yet to recruit the additional defensive cover he is trying to bring in ahead of the new campaign.
Rangers are still waiting to discover the extent of striker Kyle Lafferty's groin injury, which led to him flying home from Germany on Sunday.
However, he is expected to be sidelined for between four and six weeks and that means he would definitely miss the curtain-raiser against the Jambos.